Diabolo playing and juggling has reportedly been known for centuries, supposedly starting in China more than 4,000 years ago. It is said that French and English missionaries and diplomats brought the diabolo to Europe where it was initially named diaballo from the Greek root, dia, meaning across and ballo meaning throw, and now shortened to diabolo.
During the First World War, interest in the diabolo waned and it was seen only in theaters and on stages. In the 1980's advances in technology and manufacturing led to a revival of interest in the diabolo. More and more jugglers and players took up the game with talented diabolists manipulating 2, 3 and even 4 diabolos used at one time.
In general, the modern day diabolo includes two frusto-conical cups mounted, normally bolted, on a central axle which holds the cups in spaced relation with the apex of the cups facing each other. Each of the cups includes a cone which faces each other, with an exposed portion of the axle between the cones. The side walls of the cones flare outwardly and may be curved or straight. Normally the inside of the cups are hollow or open. It is apparent that the diabolo's balance must be perfect and the structure quite rigid, as well as being shock-resistant and durable. Typically, the modern diabolo is made of a polyamide or rubber or other high strength material. Frequently, they are decorated with various designs and may include apertures in the cone wall so that the diabolo whistles when it is spinning at high rotational speed along its axis.
The diabolo element may vary in size both in diameter of the cones and the overall length between the end faces of the cones, it being of the utmost importance that the unit be in perfect balance along the axis and transverse of the axis of the diabolo. This is because the use of the diabolo requires that it be rotating along its axis, as contrasted to wobbling or gyrating. The cone diameter may vary from 6.5 cm to 12 cm, for example, and the axial length may vary from 10.5 cm to 13.5 cm, it being understood that the diabolo may be of other dimensions.
Use of the diabolo involves a pair of sticks, usually wood such as beech or pine, each about 18 inches long and about 12 mm in diameter and with a handle at one end and a special string tied at the other end of the sticks. In most cases, the string is flexible, non-elastic and non-stretchable and typically is made of 50% cotton and 50% nylon for strength and friction. In general, the length of the string is about the distance from the user's shoulder to the floor.
The diabolo element includes a central body axle to which is joined spaced generally frusto-conical cup-like cones each of basically the same predetermined diameter at their ends with the pointed portion of the cones being in facing spaced relation. This provides an exposed length of axle between the pointed portions of the cones, the ends of said cones being spaced a predetermined distance and the cones being dimensioned so as to be symmetrically balanced on said axle so as to achieve a symmetrical rotation around the axis of the diabolo. The diabolo is rotated on its axis by the use of a string member secured at each end to the end of a stick member, the string member having a length generally the distance between the shoulder of the user and the floor, and wherein to effect spinning of the diabolo, the string member is located on the exposed length of the axle between the pointed portions of the cones and in which spinning of the diabolo in one direction is accomplished by manipulation of the sticks to effect accelerated rotation in one direction.
Various types of diabolo elements are known in the patent art, for example, that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,697 of Jul. 17, 1973 and which is a self-illuminated diabolo top. Another diabolo spinning member is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,985 of May 20, 1975.
In use, one starts the diabolo spinning by the use of the sticks and string. After it diabolo is spinning, a large variety of maneuvers may be carried out, including throws, pirouettes, side spins, spins around the arms or legs, just to mention a few. Normally, it is necessary for the diabolist periodically to re-spin the diabolo since it is essential that the diabolo be continuously spinning on its axis at a relatively high speed. It is also possible that juggling be carried out by two diabolists, passing one or more diabolos between them. Where the juggling involves only one diabolist, there are some limitations on what tricks can be performed. For example, the single diabolist is currently limited to the use of either the string or the sticks to perform juggling. It is not possible to throw the diabolo against a surface since this causes the diabolo to lose rotational speed and become unstable. For a professional and skilled diabolist who performs before an audience, the limitation imposed by the use of only the sticks and the string tends to impose some severe restrictions on the tricks which can be performed, i.e., the diabolist is limited to throws and catches, using one or more diabolos, or swinging and turning tricks.
Also known in the art are a variety or rebound devices and pitch back devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,472 of Sep. 15, 1987 describes a ball rebound net composed of a mesh whose squares are smaller than the ball or other item which hits the net. U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,338 of Sep. 24, 1996 describes a ball rebound device using a net whose mesh is smaller that the size of the ball which hits the net. U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,751 of Nov. 19, 1985 again describes a rebound device having a net whose mesh openings are smaller than the ball which hits the net. U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,638 of Apr. 16, 1991 describes a pitchback device in which a trampoline type net is used to propel a pitched ball back to the pitcher. While these prior art devices are suitable for their intended purposes, they are not useable for a diabolo since impact between the peripheral outer surfaces of the cones and the rebound net will result in the diabolo losing its spin. A diabolo which loses its spin is useless.
It is thus apparent that a need exists for an accessory device for use by a diabolist which permits a wide variety of diabolo juggling tricks which are not limited to the use of the sticks or string and which permits controlled throws and catches, as well as rebound tricks.
It is thus an object of this invention to provide a diabolo juggling accessory which permits the diabolist to perform a wide variety of diabolo juggling tricks which are not solely dependent upon the sticks and strings conventionally used by the diabolist or diabolists and which maintains the needed spin on the diabolo.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a relatively simple accessory for use in diabolo juggling which can be used by both the amateur and professional diabolist for juggling tricks which cannot be performed by either the string or sticks and which permits the diabolo to keep spinning during contact and rebound.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a diabolo juggling accessory which includes one or more elastic members suitably arranged and spaced from each other and against which the diabolo may impact by contact with the portion of the axle between the pointed ends of the cones and which propels the diabolo in a variety of different directions depending upon the arrangement and orientation of the elastic members and the angle at which the diabolo hits one or more of the elastic members and wherein the elastic members are free of transverse members.